you used to call me on my cell phone
The White House is floating a plan to ban staffers from using their personal phones at work
White House staffers could soon have nothing to do during their downtime at work — or during their boring meetings. That's because the 18 acres of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. might become a no-go zone for personal cellphones, Bloomberg Politics reports.
White House-provided phones can't send text messages, so employees would be unable to be easily reached by their family members during the day, critics say. The White House's wireless network also means they can't access Gmail or Google Hangouts while on the grounds either. The potential change is reportedly due to cybersecurity concerns, although many people are skeptical. Still, one person who discussed the proposal with Bloomberg insisted that "the potential change isn't connected to concerns about unauthorized disclosures to news organizations."
It isn't clear if the ban would apply to all of the staff in the executive office, either. Chief of Staff John Kelly's personal phone was reportedly compromised in October, and "some top aides, including senior adviser Jared Kushner, used their personal email and phones to conduct official White House business," Politico reports. Read the full scoop at Bloomberg Politics.